The Master's Will
by Lion warrior
Summary: The name's Lion. My friend, Po, and I are in trouble. We help people in a special way. Now, we have to face our biggest challenge yet, and it resides in the Valley of Peace, Po's hometown, which he hates. It doesn't help us either when we have to change an entire valley, and the source of the problem is at the Jade Palace. Oh Master help us! Review. Decided to change title
1. Chapter 1

The Alternate Story.

**Don't own Kung Fu Panda**

* * *

Hey. The name's Lion. I'm a gray rat, 5'9" with a pretty sturdy tail. Now that we got the greetings out of the way, lets get to business. The story I'm about to tell you is a story of great triumph and sorrow, but I tell you this plainly; it was a mission. First of all, you must understand my job and friend. I am an undercover Kung Fu warrior that has the mission of helping others by the Master's will. The Master is this supernatural being that basically tells me how, when, where, who, why, and what to do. He sends us different places with different missions. It helps that I've had the time to master the many languages that the world has.

I said 'us' in the intro. That's because I have a partner named Po. He is a giant black and white panda about 6'1". He was born in China, but he hates his home town. You see, long ago before I met Po, he was picked on a lot. So when I offered to train him at the age of 13, he promptly went with me. He makes the journey much easier. It made me sad that we had to leave his foster father goose behind, but Po didn't seem to be homesick much. Probably because Mr. Ping, his father, would send letters where ever he went. It confused me how he knew where we were.

So this is the way of my life. We get the mission, we get warped away to the place, we do the mission, we stay around to make sure the community grows the right way, then we repeat the cycle. Our missions usually take about a month or five max. I look like 25 but I'm actually a lot older than I look, about 89. However, I've been doing this longer than Po has and we get a much longer lifespan because we work for the Master. Po is fairly young, about 25. Po's optimism and happiness in any situation really helps me go along with these missions, which sometimes calls for me to change how an entire community thinks. So I thought this wouldn't be a problem for him when I told him that we would be going back to China. I was wrong.

"What do you mean that we're going to China? WHY would we do that?" Po asked in frustration. We were in a small town in what you guys call Nepal, in the Himalayas. I rubbed my head seeing that this would be a difficult discussion.

"Po, we need to do this. The Master said that we are to be in China for a mission. Look on the bright side, you'll be closer to your father more than ever," I said trying to cheer him up. I failed.

"Wait, what do you mean by that? Are you telling me that we are going to the village I grew up in!?" Po groaned more than before. Po didn't hate China, he just didn't like the Valley of Peace in China, his hometown. I could understand. I wouldn't want to come home either if my entire village just saw me as a stupid idiotic panda.

"Come on, Po. Give these people a chance. Maybe they've changed since you've gone," I suggested.

"Or have forgotten me," Po muttered. I sighed. He was not going to be consulted. "Nothing good in my lifetime has ever come out of that place!"

"You did," I said very simply. He couldn't argue with that. He finally drew a long sigh and said.

"What are we going to do there?"

"I don't know," I replied, "The Master just asked us to get to the Valley in the least amount of time. So we better start getting ready." Po and I started to pack our very little amount of things, went through the natural tears and sadness of saying good-bye to the people we protected. We were in that village for four months and already we felt like we were separating from our family. As we went on the road down the snowy mountain, we were warped away to a grassy bamboo-filled forest. Po's face sank.

"We're here," He grumbled. I sighed.

"You're going to have to at least pretend like you actually like this village. Just think about the kids in there," I said. Po smiled. He loved the children. Little sparkles of happiness is what he called them. "When we get there we will have to stay low key. That means no fighting bad guys until nighttime or when no one is looking. Got it?"

"Got it. Still, I don't like this place," Po complained. Finally, the view of the village came into view. On top the large mountain in the center of the village was the Jade Palace. Po told me a lot of that place, even though he himself haven't been there. He was very excited about seeing it when he was a child in the Valley. Now, the palace seemed to only bring bitter memories of despair.

Finally, we came to the entrance of the village. No one seemed to notice Po, which was good if we were to make this mission possible. Pigs, ducks, and bunnies all past us with curious and weird faces. "Don't worry," Po advised me, "They'll always look at strangers or weird people like that. Let's get to my father's shop." It had been two years since Po last saw his father. The shop was little. It was the same way I found it when I met Po. Behind the visible kitchen was a goose and a teenage snow leopard. We casually waited until it was closing time to see Mr. Ping. After it was closing time, I saw the teenaged snow leopard leave with a sad face. That was strange considering he was happy all throughout the day. As I watched him go out the door, I turned my attention back to Po going to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry but we're closed." Said the goose.

"Dad, it's me, Po!" Po laughed. Mr. Ping was speechless for a moment before running up and hugging Po. It really had been a long time.

"And Lion, it's good to see you," he said hugging me. "Come. Come. Make yourself comfortable upstairs. I left the room just how you left it, Po." I groaned.

"If that's true, we won't be able to find our way out in the morning," I joked earning a playful punch from Po.

"So, since I know that you guys are always on a mission, what brings you here?" Mr. Ping asked.

"We're on a mission. We don't know what, but we were told to come here. So tell us what's changed?" Po asked. That was going be an interesting conversation.


	2. Chapter 2

The Mission

* * *

"Well, a few people have died since you've been gone. Old folks really, but still sad. Of course, I got a new helper in the kitchen. You must have seen him today, a snow leopard?" Mr. Ping explained. I nodded.

"Yes, we saw him. Seemed very happy until work was over. He must love this job," I guessed. Mr. Ping lowered his head.

"Well, he's sad whenever he has to return home. That kid has it rough. His name is Peng." He replied.

"What's wrong at home? Parents arguing, fighting, not feeling appreciated? Can we help?" Po said eager to help. Mr. Ping shook his head.

"I doubt it. His problem is that his uncle, whose taking care of him, is a big shot in this town."

"Ah," Po realized,"he feels unimportant."

"It gets worse. The house he lives in has other big shots like his uncle. And his uncle's adopted father is very strict on everybody's training and never shows any real love, and the other people in the house only treat him well around his uncle. Otherwise, they'll ignore him." Mr. Ping said.

"Wow, kid's got it bad. Where does he live?" I asked. Mr. Ping pointed to the mighty mountain that the Jade Palace sat on. Both Po and I were amazed. "You mean that he's a relative of one of the masters of the Jade Palace?"

"Yep, but he comes down here to get some helpful advise and to work his mind off of the tension that goes on in that building. I just wish that I could help him," Mr. Ping said sadly. "Well, let's change subjects."

"Okay, who's the new Furious Five?" I asked.

"I would imagine it's still Master Crane, Tigress, Monkey, Viper, and Mantis." Po said thoughtfully. Mr. Ping nodded. "So who's their leader. Master Shifu or Master Oogway?"

"Neither. Tai-Lung is the leader unofficially," Mr. Ping replied. Po and I were confused. We asked who was Tai-Lung. "Tai-Lung is Master Shifu's adopted son, just like Tigress is. He was being trained to be the Dragon Warrior but Oogway said no. Tai-Lung was mad but there was nothing he could do about it, so he continued to help the village."

"Well, that would help get his mind off things," Po said.

"Well, no, he's very...cold and silent. Even when people are praising him, he forces a smile and just goes back up the mountain to train. Don't know why he trains, he's mastered all the Kung Fu moves. He's never happy. Much as change since you've left." Mr. Ping finished.

"Hmm. Wow, this village is worse than I imagined," Po replied. I rolled my eyes.

"Is it this bad because you've left?" I suggested. Po just ignored it. "I wonder what the Master is planning. I feel that this mission will be the biggest mission we'll ever have." Then I yawned. "Well, it's getting late. Time for bed. Hey, maybe we can help you in the kitchen tomorrow morning, Mr. Ping."

"That would be much appreciated. And I know Peng would like that. He needs to talk to someone else other than an old eccentric goose," Mr. Ping joked.

"You're not old. Eccentric? Yes, but not old," Po replied. Mr. Ping just smiled.

"Okay, get some rest. See you in the morning," He said as we made our beds on the floor and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I had a dream that night. A dream that the Master's voice was talking to me. I can never see his face but I know his voice. I was in a misty area and could see four figures through the mist. "Lion," a voice said.

"I'm here, Master," I replied.

"Do you see these four people?" The Master asked. I focused my vision to see Peng, a tall muscular snow leopard, a fit female tiger, and a small old red panda.

"Yes, I do," I replied.

"These four are monsters to the village and themselves. How is that?" The Master asked. I pondered this for a moment.

"It's not that they ARE monsters. They have troubles that make them APPEAR to be monsters. In other words, they have monster problems," I reasoned. The Master always talked to me like I was a child, but I didn't mind. Sometimes having a child mind helps figure out seemingly complex problems.

"You have seen well. These four need the help of you and Po. These four are in need of finding the truth about themselves. So I send you two to help them."

"We can't do this alone," I replied.

"Do not worry. I will be with you," The Master said.

* * *

I awoke to the early morning light in my face. It was still sunrise, but we usually get up at this hour. I looked to the side of my bed to see Po getting ready on the other side of the room. He looked at me and said, "Nice to see that you're up. You slept in a little."

"Not slept in," I replied, "I had a vision of what the Master wants us to do." Po stopped what he was doing to hear what the mission was. "Basically, we have to change this entire village's way of thinking. In order to do it, anyways." Po groaned.

"That's hard to do when these very people are stubborn to the bone. Who specifically do we have to change?" Po asked.

"I'll tell you down the stairs. First person we have to help is this kid Peng. I think that's obvious," I said. Po nodded. "Come on, we got to get to work."

We started to help around the kitchen and the noodle shop. Po and I were extremely happy in serving. We did our traditional way of wowing the customers; letting pots and bowls of noodles and stew fly across the room. In the spare time between shifts, we would tell the kids stories of our adventures (Leaving out the fact that we were the ones who took the adventures. We still wanted to stay low key.) It was about three in the afternoon when Peng came in with a surprised face. We just got done with serving a 12 person table, and it was time for our break. We went into the kitchen where Peng followed us in. "Hello, I'm afraid I haven't met you. I didn't know that Mr. Ping had other workers," Peng said looking over to the goose.

"Oh, Peng. So good of you to come! This is my son, Po and his field teacher, Lion," Mr. Ping both introduced us. We bowed to each other.

"Mr. Ping has mentioned a lot about you, Mr. Po," Peng said politely. Po laughed.

"Just Po is fine. And thanks, it's nice to meet you. My dad has told me a lot of good things about you," Po replied.

"Might as well just have rumors about both of you," I joked while everyone chuckled lightly. Peng rolled his shoulder to get rid of some type of pain.

"Well, I'm here to work. I saw that you guys did some nice tricks. Where did you train to do that?" Peng asked. I shook my head.

"You don't need much training in order to learn what you love doing. We love serving people. We also like making people happy. And if that's doing tricks like that, then we'll do it. Hey, you should stick around and come with us. You might have some fun." Peng looked down at the ground sadly.

"I'm sorry, but I have some...other training to do. But while I'm here, I guess I can have a little fun," Peng replied.

"Alright! Let's get it started! Who wants to play with the panda?" Po asked the children as they ran up to tackle him. Peng laughed wholeheartedly at this. I smiled but I thought to myself 'This is going to be harder than I thought'

**To be continued **


	3. Chapter 3

The Captured Princess

* * *

Peng came into the shop earlier and earlier. I figured that he finished his training faster so that he would be able to come down here. On certain days, I asked Mr. Ping to close the shop for the entire day just so Peng, Po, and I could talk. Peng can be described as a quiet, humble person, but push him to the edge and he was ready to unleash a fury like never before. We found out when some bandit was trying to rob us. Peng had very good martial art skills. That's when I got an idea. That Po hated. "Why are we climbing all these steps?" He groaned. Po, Peng, Mr. Ping, and I were going up the mountain of the Jade Palace to ask something of the masters.

"Come on, we have to do this. For his sake," I said pointing to Peng.

"But why are you doing this for me?" Peng asked.

"Wait and see," I said to him patiently. FINALLY, we got to the top. We knocked on the door where a duck servant came to greet us.

"Hello, may I he-" He stopped short when he realized who it was, "Lion! Po!" He said running up to greet us.

"Well, I haven't seen you in a while Zeng. What are you doing here?" I asked. Zeng met us when we were stopping a bunch of bandits attacking his home village, and we learned that Zeng wasn't the timid duck that he appeared to be.

"I work here now. It's so great of you to come. So what brings you here?" he asked.

"I need you to relay a message to Master Oogway. Not to Master Shifu, or anyone else. To Master Oogway only." I told him, "This is the message: Mr. Ping and co-workers are going to be gone for about a week journey to a cooking convention. With your permission, Peng would like to go. By Lion."

"I'll tell him immediately. Wait here," Zeng said as he disappeared behind the big gates. One of the powers I have is being able to see things through other people's eyes. So when Zeng went, I saw what was really going on. I didn't possess his body, just watched. He burst into the training room where Oogway and a red panda stood watching five people train. "Master Oogway, Mr. Ping's workers are going to be gone for about a week journey to a cooking convention. With your permission, Peng would like to go. By Lion." Zeng relayed perfectly. The red panda was the first to speak.

"We can't just stop Peng's training for food. Tell them that-"

"Now, Shifu," The big turtle interrupted, "It's seems to me that Peng is due for a good rest. He hasn't had a break in a while."

"Try a year," I heard Zeng mentally speak. This shocked me. It was a miracle that the boy was still standing.

"I give permission for Peng to go. And tell this Lion that I am glad he could come. And please help quickly." Oogway said winking. This confused Shifu. Zeng started to run off but he ran into the tall snow leopard.

"Sorry Master Tai-Lung," Zeng quickly apologized and rushed away.

My eyes opened back out as I waited for Zeng to come to the door. Suddenly, the gates creaked opened. "He says-"

"I know, I heard," I replied, "Thanks, Zeng. See you in a while." The four of us started down the mountain. "A year?!"

"What?" Peng asked.

"You haven't had a break from your training in a year?" I asked again. Everyone was shocked. Peng hung his head down.

"No, I haven't. That's why I'm so socially awkward. I can't get out much," He replied. I threw my arm around him.

"Well, that's what this vacation is for. We are going to save a princess," I stated. This confused Peng but Po said.

"Oh, we're going to save the BAO-GA princess?" He asked as I nodded. "It's about time. She's been there for four months now. Why are you saving her now?"

"I'll tell you on the way," I said. "Don't worry about packing, Peng. It should only take a minute to get there."

"Really? So why do we need a week?" Peng asked. I told him to wait and see. We finally got down the mountain and proceeded to see Mr. Ping to the shop.

"We're going now dad. Bye!" Po shouted back.

"How are we going to get there?" Peng asked as we exited the village. Just then a heavy mist started to form. Then the next minute, it was cold. It was snowing heavily; we were on a mountain. Peng was completely weirded out. "What!?-Where...Who, how?"

"Don't hurt your brain. We have some special abilities that you cannot tell anyone else," Po replied. Peng was completely speechless. Soon, we came up to a fortress on the mountain. We ducked to the ground and hid low in the snow.

"This is what we'll do. Po will throw us over the wall, I'll hold off the guards and you find the princess. Got it?" I explained. Peng was still bewildered but finally nodded. "Ya'll ready for this?" They nodded. Soon Po lifted us up in each hand. (We are relatively light). He threw us over the wall...right into the guards corner. We gathered ourselves together as yak warriors looked down upon us. "Stick to the plan." I reminded Peng. I shot up to the nearest guard and clung to his face. He freaked out trying to hit me off with his mallet, so were his fellow guards. "Why are you hitting him? Why are you hitting him?" I repeatedly taunted them as they hit him to unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, Peng rushed through the cells of the fortress. All of them were empty. Then he nearly passed one with a shadow in the corner. He stopped and looked into the cell. The person huddled closer to the corner with a blanket over. Peng forced opened the lock and opened the cell. The person was shaking. "It's alright. I won't hurt you. I'm here to save you." The figure slowly came out of the shadow. Peng's eyes widen and mouth dropped as he saw a beautiful lioness before his eyes. The lioness slowly grabbed his hand. Suddenly, they heard a bang. Peng quickly picked up the lioness in his hands and ran for the exit. There they were both stunned to see me on top of a pile of guards groaning.

"You coming casanova?" I said. With that we were out the fortress as it blew to pieces.

"Who blew it up?" Peng asked.

"I figured it would be best if people thought it was an accident. Don't worry, the guards won't remember a thing," I told him. "Come on. Let's get Po and get out of here." We then rushed out to where Po was waving at us.

* * *

We got down the snowy mountain to a nearby stream to drink some water. The lioness was very quiet. Po noticed this. "Are you okay?" The lioness went closer to Peng, making Peng blush, when Po reached out his arm. Po retreated too.

"I don't think it's best to do that," I said. Po nodded.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. What's your name?" Po asked. The girl spoke quietly and slowly.

"My name is Ju," she said.

"Lovely name," I said. I looked to the mountain. "Come on, we have a long way to go." On the way, I realized that Ju was very close to Peng. And Peng seemed to be blushing. She was about an inch lower from my height. Of course, Peng was my height. Ju seemed to be around Peng's age. Anyways, Peng and Ju walked together in silence. Peng was nervous the whole entire way. That week-long journey just got interesting.

**To Be continued.**

* * *

**I'm thinking about ****changing the title. Any suggestions?**


	4. Chapter 4

The Plan

* * *

The trip back was excruciating on the feet, but we managed. Ju slowly started to warm up to us. Po always came to entertain her with a trick or joke that he had. I thought that he would seem annoying to Ju and Peng, but they were laughing and enjoying themselves. It was nice to see Peng finally relaxed. He had been tensed all the way through the day until now. My plan was to learn more about these two through the week. By the third day, I learned that Peng and Ju were actually 16. Ju was from southern China but was kidnapped, her parents killed, and locked away for four months. Peng's parents had died from an illness when he was 9 and came to his uncle Tai-Lung, who was supposed to care for him. I felt sorry for these kids. They didn't deserve to be like this.

On the fourth day, I decided along with Po that Peng should learn something from us. "Peng, it's time you've learned something," I said to him.

"Wait, I thought I was on vacation," Peng joked. Po was surprised.

"You made a funny. That's new!" he exclaimed.

"Well, it's nothing physical. Just therapeutic. I want to talk to you about what goes on in the Jade Palace, and what effect that has on you," I said. I sensed that Peng knew where this was going.

"I don't thin-"

"Peng," I interrupted, "I want to help. Please." Peng looked into Ju's eyes. She seemed like she wanted to help too. Peng sighed.

"What do you want to know?" he said.

"It's not that I want to know something. It's that I want to tell you something. Tai-Lung is your uncle and is very famous. I know that you are in his shadow yet you still love him. Then the Furious Five and Shifu don't seem to like you. That's what I know. And I want to tell you now, that you are loved. I, Po, Mr. Ping, even Ju love and appreciate you. I know that we've only been here for a while, but I tell you this so that you can live a happier life," I finished. Peng shut his eyes and looked away as Ju placed her hand on his shoulder. He sniffed and said.

"Thank you. I...I-I've been struggling...with this for a long time. All I've wanted was for someone to like me for who I truly am. Not because I'm related to the leader of the Furious Five. Thanks." Ju surprised Peng by hugging him. He hugged back letting a single tear fall from his eye. I smiled. One monster down. Three to go. But how were we going to do that? Teenage kids are much easier than fully grown adults. They didn't have stubbornness issues. I pondered this as we went home.

On the last day, we arrived at the Valley of Peace. Mr. Ping was happy to see us and arranged to let Ju stay at one of Mr. Ping's friends. Before Peng went back up the mountain, I told him that it would be preferably good to train more, even after learning the art of being happy. "Besides, if anyone knows that Ju's a princess, then they'll do anything to get her." It may seem mean, but I purposely told him that so that he would train more. I knew that he liked Ju. This would make him a better warrior. He vigorously nodded and ran up the mountain to begin training again.

* * *

About five weeks past since that day, and Peng began to come later and later. I imagined that he was training for Ju's safety. Of course, he wouldn't come down for work much, just to see Ju. I smiled every time I saw the two. Ju worked at Mr. Ping's friend's shop who made clothes. She absolutely loved it. Life was good for us, but Po and I still had to address the other three monster problems. I just didn't know how to do it.

The solution came without me knowing. One morning, while Po and I were cooking food, Zeng and Master Shifu, came into the shop with a message. "Master Oogway has asked you to come to the Jade Palace for a meeting with him," Shifu stated dignified.

"Really? Why?" I asked.

"He didn't say. Personally, I'm as surprised as you are," Shifu replied. It was meant to be an insult but we didn't take the time to acknowledge it. We went up the mountain, passed the mighty outer gates, and went into the Jade Palace, where Master Oogway stood there waiting for us. We respectfully bowed and I said.

"Master Oogway, you sent for us?"

"Yes, I did. Shifu, could you please give us some privacy?" Oogway said slowly.

"Yes, Master Oogway," Shifu replied going out of the Palace gates. Oogway looked at us sadly.

"You are not doing your job," he said. Po and I were confused, but I had an idea about what he was talking about.

"What do you-"

"You are not doing the job you were assigned to do here. Change my four students," Oogway interrupted.

"Three," I corrected, "You now have three students that have problems. But Master Oogway you must understand that a teenager is easier than three fully grown adults. Not to offend, but adults are harder to change than kids. You must give us time."

"I'm afraid that I won't be alive when they are changed," Oogway said.

"I know that you are trying to do the best for these people, but we can't do anything from our current position," Po said hopelessly. Then an idea came into my mind as I smiled almost wickedly. Po noticed this. "Oh no. You have an idea. It's a bad idea. What is it?"

"It's not bad if it goes good. Besides, there is absolutely no harm in it. For the most part," I said. "This is the plan."

**To be continued. **


	5. Chapter 5

The Two New Servants

* * *

"No," Po said flatly.

"Come on, it's not that bad," I told him.

"It's ridiculously dangerous. What if they find out that we are playing them?" Po asked.

"If that happens then Master Oogway has our backs. Right?" I asked the turtle.

"Yes, but how does being a servant at the Jade Palace help anyone?" Oogway asked curious.

"One, Zeng will get some extra help. Two, we can help the Jade Palace with efficiency. Three, you'd be surprised what a servant can do," I explained.

"Very well, but we will have to introduce you to the others," Oogway said calling Shifu back in. He explained that we were new servants and had to introduce us to the Furious Five and Tai-Lung. Shifu eyed us suspiciously but obeyed his master. He took us to the Training Hall where the Furious Five were standing in a row. Tai-Lung was in a corner.

"Everyone, these are new servants of the Jade Palace. This is Masters Monkey, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Tigress, and that in the corner is Master Tai-Lung. You might be?" Shifu asked us.

"I am Po and this is Lion. It is awesome to finally meet you guys. I'm big fans of yo-"

"Okay," I said closing Po's mouth, "Now that we have that out of the way, what do you want us to do?" Master Shifu pulled out a list to do. It hit the floor when Po held it.

"Oh boy," Po muttered.

"You better get started," Shifu smirked. The first thing on the list was cleaning the floors in the Hall of Heroes. Po, Zeng, and I started scrubbing the floors. Po stood up stretching.

"Well, this could go a little better," He groaned. That gave me an idea. I looked at the brushes that we had and the soapy floor.

"Po? Do you remember that time we were on the ice ring in the snowy mountains?" I said. He looked at the brushes and smiled too. Zeng was lost.

"I'm sorry, am I missing something?" He asked.

Later, Master Shifu and the others came to check on our work, if you could call it that. They opened the doors to see Po and I figure-skating on the floor. Po would sometimes jump and twirl in the air nearly missing the Kung Fu artifacts. I practiced skating backwards on the brush-skates. After we were done, Zeng came and wiped it off with a big towel where we slid on down the hall; stopping right at Shifu. "What are you doing?" Shifu said clearly upset. I stood up and said.

"Doing our work. We're just finishing up. See?" I showed him the sparkling hall. Everything was spotless. Shifu was speechless.

"Well...very...nice work. But next time, do take your job more seriously," He corrected, "Now you must cook dinner. Since you've worked in a restaurant, I trust that you will know what to do. Please bring my food separate." Then he exited the room leaving the Furious Five there. Tigress, I noticed, was in the back with her arms crossed with her eyes dead on us.

"Well, we better get cooking," Po said brushing past the warriors. I followed suit. When we got to the kitchen, we started to talk. "I don't think that they particularly like us."

"No, you think?" I answered sarcastically, "Just give it time. Well, we better get cooking. We'll make your dad's noodle soup." Pretty soon we made the food the way we do, flipping, spinning, making it a show. When we were done, we noticed that, yet again, the Furious Five were there in the entrance with Tai-Lung this time. Their mouths dropped open, excluding Tigress and Tai-Lung, whose eyes were just wider.

"Dinner is served," Po nervously said. The group sat down while Po and I tended to the dishes.

"So, Po," Viper said as I walked over to Zeng to give the soup to Shifu,"What do you do for a living?" Po said something in Arabic that confused the others. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry. I sometimes start speaking this language that a mountain lion taught me," Po replied. I took this as a perfect time to show the others how much we knew about them.

"Mei-Ling didn't teach you that," I argued. Crane was shocked.

"You know Mei-Ling?" he asked.

"Best student of the Lee-dong academy, yes. She's also the reason why I have a bump on the back of my head," I groaned rubbing my head. Po chuckled a little.

"I told you not to surprise her," He said.

"It was her birthday! I think that's good enough reason to surprise her," I argued.

"How do you know her?" Crane asked.

"We use to be servants there," I replied. It wasn't a lie; we were her servants in protecting her school from some bandits. "Was that before or after we ran into Great Master Viper?" I asked Po.

"I think after because we had to deal with Wu Kong remember?" He replied, but Viper and Monkey were shocked.

"You know my father/brother?" They both said.

"Of course, we've been a lot of places. We were servants to your father and we had to serve your brother in prison. He's doing better actually. He's a seller of pranking items now," I replied easing Monkey's fears. His brother had been a criminal for the longest. "After that we went to Bao-Goo orphanage to do some construction work over there and that's pretty much it. We've been other places." I glanced at Tigress to see a reaction. She did nothing but widen her eyes. This cat was good at not showing a thing. Just then Peng came in.

"Sorry I'm late everyone. I was-" He stopped to look up and see us. "Lion, Po?"

"Hey, Hey, hey," Po smiled. This made Tai-Lung actually talk.

"You know my nephew?" he asked in a low voice.

"Of course, he worked with us down at the shop. Speaking of food, you guys should start eating. I can hear your stomachs," Po said. Then they started eating. They were stunned. Even Tai-Lung said.

"Wow, this is good." Everyone agreed. Tigress didn't say much, only ate her food in small amounts. I could see she was struggling not to gulf it down though. The soup was insanely good.

"So, Peng. How's Ju?" Po teased.

"Leave it alone, Po." Peng said flatly.

"Who's Ju?" Crane asked fully curious while eating his heart out.

"A person we met when we went to the cooking convention," Po explained. Peng remembered that he wasn't suppose to tell them what really happened at the 'cooking convention'.

"So you're the guy that took Peng to that. I thought your name sounded familiar," Monkey said thoughtfully.

"So why are you here?" Peng asked. I explained to him what Oogway did. "Wow, so who's going to be managing the shop with Mr. Ping?"

"You and Ju can do that," Po said tauntingly.

"Leave it alone, Po," Peng warned him walking out the kitchen.

"Notice how he didn't say 'I don't love her'." I explained. Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis all laughed. Tai-Lung smiled. Tigress didn't move.

"Love is for the weak," She said coldly making the laughter stop.

"Why is it that every time I hear a warrior say that, they get married?" Po said curiously. Tigress growled at him. "I'm just saying, I've heard a lot of people say that." Tigress still glared at him. After the dinner, Po and I bunked in the barracks along with the warriors. They were still in the kitchen.

"Well, this has been an interesting day," I said.

"I think this is going to be a situation bigger than we hoped for," Po replied. I rubbed my chin in thought. He had a point. I didn't think that the problem here was like this. Finally, I came to a conclusion.

"Po, I don't think that we need to only change the three students. I think we need to change how the whole village thinks," I said. Po looked at me like I was crazy, but then he thought about it. I did have a point.

"I think you're right. But I think we should worry about that in the morning. Good night," Po said going right to sleep. I shook my head. Sometimes, Po could be so...childish. But he was still great to hang around. So we needed to start working the next morning.


	6. Chapter 6

The Defending Servants

* * *

The next morning the gong rang and the Furious Five, Peng, and Tai-Lung all woke up to greet Master Shifu. "Good Morning Master Shifu," They greeted. Shifu was waiting for us. He impatiently shouted.

"Rat! Panda! Wake up!" he opened the door and didn't see us. He chuckled a little. "They've quit." He was expecting us to give up. So later they came to the Training Hall to see, none other than, us, in a surprising fashion. I was on the roof support beam hanging upside-down pouring a dry cleaning mix while Po was by the side of the balancing bowl.

"Are you almost done?" Po asked.

"Just need to add the water," I said. Then I poured in the water, "Okay, now spin it." With that, Po grabbed the Balancing bowl and started rotating it faster and faster. The mixture began to bubble. "Okay, now bring it over to the fire station," I commanded jumping down from the beam. Po lifted the bowl over his head, carried over to the fire station while I flipped the switch for the Training Hall machine. The jade balancing bowl was blasted inside and outside. Finally, I turned off the machine and Po carefully picked up the bowl and placed it back.

"What are you doing?" Master Shifu shouted.

"Doing our job," I replied showing him the spotless Balancing bowl.

"Why weren't you still in your rooms?" Crane asked.

"We got up when the sun rose. We're usually up at this time. Now if you'll excuse us we have to sweep the floors," Po said leaving the room with me behind him.

About two weeks of this went on. Dinners were interesting because the group seemed more open to us. Po mistakingly was the victim of one of Monkey's pranks. That earned Monkey an interesting wake up call of noodles in his face. Viper seems to be very kind to everyone. Mantis comes to me every time he has a relationship problem. I still don't know why. Crane saw me as the same level-headedness as he was. Tai-Lung and Tigress didn't speak to us much other than the occasional slip-ups that Po would make that made Tigress smile just a tiny bit. Of course, I knew that Oogway would be upset about our speed in this type of thing. Which is why he came one day in the Training Hall while the Furious Five were training and we were sweeping.

"You're moving too slow," He said bringing the attention of everyone in the room.

"You see Master Oogway, it's a slow work. We're trying our best. We're still at a lost of how OUR Master is going to figure this out," I tried to calm him. I could see Shifu was genuinely concerned...for us. That was a surprise.

"I'm worried that it won't be done while I'm alive," Oogway argued. I sighed.

"I have another crazy idea, but I need to ask Po something. Did you clean up that mess we made in the Mountain Village?" I really meant that if he remembered to take out the leader there. We were sent to stop his reign of terror. We finished his crazed reign but it was their leader I wanted gone. It was a random question but a needed one at the moment.

"Umm...Oops,"Po said nervously.

"You for-got?" I said angrily.

"Calm down, Lion. What could possibly go wrong from an old job that you had?" Monkey said. Suddenly, there was a high-pitched shrill followed by a loud crash.

"That," I muttered. Everyone went to the outer gate. There we saw below the whole village in chaos. Then Zeng came fluttering up the mountain.

"Masters, the Qi-don have come with dangerous weapons and are terrorizing the valley!" Zeng panted.

"Are they cannons?" I asked. Stupid questions receive stupid answers. Right after I said that, a cannonball went whizzing by my head. "Never mind, they are."

"You've seen these things before?" Crane asked.

"I've met the maker of these weapons," I replied.

"We'll be there," Shifu said.

"Wait, Masters. This is too dangerous. If you don't have any experience with these things, they can kill you," Po said. Tai-Lung easily flipped Po behind us.

"Get out of the way, panda. We have a more important job to do than just sweeping," Tai-Lung retorted as the others ran down the mountain. I helped Po up as Zeng watched nervously from the mountain.

"They're going to get themselves killed," I muttered.

"Then we need to keep them alive," Zeng advised. Po and I nodded.

"Fetch me my butterfly swords," I told Zeng.

* * *

Down the mountain, the Furious Five were already tired. Shifu and Tai-Lung were out of breath. Peng was usually the person making sure that the crowd was safe. Temuti, leader of the Qi-don, laughed. "You'll never succeed in winning this. NEVER! You would need a miracle." He aimed the big cannon at the group and fired. It was over. Then they heard a thump. Shifu and the others opened their eyes to see Po and I standing in front of them. To their further amazement, Po had caught the cannonball like it was a small ball.

"Somebody called for us?" I said with a smile.

"How did yo-" Tai-Lung gasped.

"I told you. Unless you know how to deal with these things, they will kill you," Po replied. Then he looked at Temuti, who was steaming. "Temuti, great to see you again. Unfortunately, you're still alive."

"You. You're the ones that I've been looking for. Now I can finish and then rule-"

"I just have one question. Where's Shen?" Po asked concerned about the creator of the cannons. Temuti laughed.

"He's tied up back at the shop where he can't help you," Temuti growled. I growled back.

"We don't need him to finish you off," I replied. Po threw the cannonball back into the cannon, making it explode. I pulled out my dual swords and said, "Ya'll ready for this?"

**To Be Continued**


	7. Chapter 7

The Battle

* * *

I jumped on to the nearest cannon and shot myself straight into the yak guards. Cannons shot at Po, who caught each one and flung them back destroying the cannons. I planted my swords in the ground and whirled my body around knocking the other minions out. Then a circle of them came towards me. "Wait. Wait, wait!" I shouted and they actually stopped. I waved my hand back and forth. "Look at the hand. Look at the hand. Look at the hand," I said to distract them. Then I swept them off their feet with my tail as they pummeled to the ground. "You didn't look at the hand," I said. Po jumped over me and quickly, like lightning, kicked and punched the guards. Then we saw a new wave of guards coming towards us.

"We didn't need Shen, but his help would be appreciated," Po said. Then the first line of guards struck the ground from arrows. I looked to the roof of one of the houses to see an old friend, Dead Shot Duck.(**I'm sorry. I love this idea of Zeng being a kick-butt ****archer) **He jump off the roof. He wore black ninja suit, mask, and Chinese straw hat. I knew that this was Zeng in disguise.

"Where have you been?" I shouted.

"Dusting off the old bow. Oh and I found a friend," He said. Just then a cannonball flew from behind us, blowing away the guards. We looked back to see a peacock on top of one of the damaged cannons.

"No one uses my weapons and gets away with it," He said. Shen, the creator of the cannons. He jumped off the cannon and was prepared with one of his wing daggers.

"Nice to see you, bird," I teased.

"I wish you wouldn't call me that," Shen groaned, "Now, let's make these people pay for using my weapons for evil." With that we continued to fight, but there was one more cannon, and Temuti was using it. He lit the cannon.

"Hit THE DECK!" I shouted. The cannonball whizzed past us and went straight for Ju. Peng pushed Ju out of the way and tried to stop the cannonball. He moved a couple feet back, but he managed to stop it. Everyone was surprised, including Peng.

"Wow...I did it," he whispered in amazement. We looked back at Temuti.

"Hold these and wait for my signal," I said as I gave Po my swords. I jumped onto the cannon and kicked the lighter out of Temuti's hands. He tried to grabbed me, but I backflipped out of his reach. I jumped, roundhouse kicked him in the face, landed back on the cannon, used my legs to spring my weight forward, and rammed him in the gut. While he was out, I lit the cannon. "Now!" I shouted to Po. Po threw the swords which curved and pierced right through the armor of the cannon. I jumped off the cannon and ran for cover. The cannon was destroyed completely. After the smoke cleared, Po, Dead Shot Duck, Shen, and I all worked to put the Qi-don minions in a pile. Temuti didn't make it.

The Valley cheered. "Hooray for Po. Hooray for Lion. Hooray for Lord Shen. Hooray for Dead Shot Duck," Some of them lifted us in the air. I could see that Peng was getting a very welcomed 'thank you' hug from Ju. I could also tell he was blushing. As the crowd settled, I and the others started to talk.

"It's good to see you alive," Po said to Shen.

"Good to still be alive. So what are you going to do with all this metal?" He asked.

"We'll take it to the blacksmith. He'll make something out of it," I replied. Then Shifu, Tai-Lung, and the Furious Five came.

"Hi guys," Po said. They were quiet for a while.

"So I'm guessing that servants aren't really your profession?" Viper said knowingly. Po shook his head with a smile.

"We're actually Kung Fu fighters in disguise. That's why we've been everywhere. So, does this mean we get a raise?" I asked. Shifu chuckled while everyone laughed. I could see the smallest smile on Tigress's face.

"How about this? I let you train at the Jade Palace, without my help, and you can stay there. Granted you still do your servant duties," Shifu offered. We bowed. "Then it's settled. Say where is that duck?"

"Oh," I said realizing that Zeng wasn't there, "Dead Shot is always disappearing like that. But thank you guys."

"Why didn't you just tell us that you were warriors?" Tai-Lung asked.

"We were on a mission. Anyways, how about we all eat at Mr. Ping's?" I suggested. We dinned and feasted. Of course, Tai-Lung had to ask.

"How do you and Lord Shen know each other?"

"Oh, he destroyed my village, separated me from my real parents, and I had to fight him," Po said very calmly. Everyone was shocked.

"You say it so casually," Shen said sadly. Po put an arm around him.

"Hey, what's in the past is in the past. Be glad I didn't pound you to a pulp," he said trying to cheer him up.

"I don't deserve to live, though," Shen replied.

"Nobody deserves mercy, but we give it anyways," Po said wisely. I groaned.

"Agh, if I wanted to have a sad party, I would have die with Temuti," I joked earning a laugh from everyone. Then Tai-Lung got silent. Po whispered over to him to ask what was wrong.

"I'm...sorry, Po for how I treated you at the top of the mountain. I just didn't want to see anyone hurt," He whispered. Po smiled.

"It's alright. You were just doing your job of protecting people. That's your job, right?" Po said. Tai-Lung looked confused. As if he didn't really know what his job was. So now we were warriors, but there was one more problem.


	8. Chapter 8

The Warriors

* * *

Po and I were walking down the halls one night. The others were fast asleep and Shen left for Gorgom city. I was worried about something. "Oogway is certainly going to be on our case if we don't do our job. We are elevated to warriors but that still doesn't mean that we are fixing the students," I said to Po.

"I think we should try and help Shifu last. Now we need to focus our attention on Master Tigress and Tai-Lung," Po said. We came to the hall where the Training Hall was on the other side. I could sense Master Tigress listening in.

"I agree. So here's what we'll do. You get Tigress and I'll get Tai-Lung," I said loud enough to let Tigress hear.

"What! No, no, no, I can't do that," Po refused.

"Come on, Po. You've been with tigers before," I said.

"Yes, but this one's different," He said unsure of himself. I stopped then looked at him with a wide smile. "No, No, I am not."

"Yes, you are. You're in love," I said. I could have swore I heard Tigress gasped.

"I admit that she's drop dead gorgeous, but I'm not even on speaking terms with her," Po argued.

"I would have just accepted 'she's pretty'. But you are right on the 'speaking terms'. We should fix that," I said thoughtfully as we were passing the entrance of the Training Hall.

"How?" Po asked.

"Like this," I said pushing Po right into the entrance bumping into Tigress. I dashed out before Po could say anything.

"Oh...I'm so sorry about that. I was kind of pushed," Po said mentally cussing me out. He expected Tigress to give him the cold stare.

"That's okay," She said dusting herself off, "But you must be more careful." Po stood there awkwardly in silence.

"Soooo. What brings you up this late?" He asked.

"I was just going to do some late night training," Tigress said going back to the wooden dummies.

"Don't you think you need some rest?" Po said worried.

"A true master can fight for many hours straight," Tigress said sternly.

"Yes, but only if he...or she has a drive. It's that drive that makes them fight for so long. You can't do training for something like that, you can only try and find it," Po said wisely. Tigress stopped to think about this. He had a point. "Hey, do you need a sparring partner?" Tigress smirked.

"Sure, I've been looking forward to fight a warrior like you," She said tauntingly.

"You mean the fat or the fighting?" He asked smirking.

"Both," She answered smirking too.

"Alright, prepared to feel the thunda'"Po said getting a fighting stance.

* * *

The next morning, I saw Po groaning as he came in. I was doing a water technique in the Training Hall. "What's wrong with you?" I asked.

"Nothing, but I should kill you for what you did last night," Po muttered.

"AH, so that's why you're sore."

"Yes, I challenged Tigress to spar,"

"Oh, you lost?"

"No, I won. That's why I'm in pain." Po retorted as he cracked all of his back. I was confused.

"So if you didn't lose, why are you in pain?"

"Because the tiger is a sore loser."

"Ah, she bounced you down the stairs."

"All 10,000," Po cracked the last bone, "And 1 of them. So how was your conversation with Tai-Lung?"

"I knew I forgot something," I said jokingly.

"You mean I got bounced several stairs and you didn't even talk to the guy," Po fumed. I calmed him down.

"Relax, I have a plan. Now if you'll excuse me. I have some practice to do," I said as I went back to my technique. Po shook his head as he went to the bench and watched from there.

"I am not a sore loser," Tigress said standing right next to Po. Po jumped nearly having a heart attack, but he chuckled.

"Oh sure. Then why did you throw me down those stairs?" Po replied.

"It was...an accident," She said completely calm. Trying to keep a straight face.

"Liar. You just love seeing me in pain, don't you? That's why you're laughing on the inside," Po replied smirking. Tigress smirked back.

"Hey, can you two tone it down for a minute? Trying to train here," I muttered. Just then Tai-Lung came in. Po could hear Tigress growling a bit as he passed by. He came to me. "Hello, Tai-Lung what can I do you for?" I said in a cheery mood. Tai-Lung stood bland.

"Your skills are very impressive for a rat," He remarked, "I was wondering if you and I could spar." Before I could say anything, Po said.

"Yes, he will." As payback for what I did to him last night. I growled at him, but he only smiled.

"Okay, let's start," I said bowing. We began. Tai-Lung lunged at me with quick punches. I leaned back and dodged each one of them. Then he tried some rapid-fire kicks. I blocked each one. Then I managed to grabbed his tail just as he was about to bite me.

"YOOWW!" He cried in pain. Tigress snickered still trying to keep a straight face. Tai-Lung got mad and started hurdling me with punches and kicks. I dodged and blocked them, found an opening, and punched him in the stomach. While he hunched over, I kicked him up into the air, and punched back down to the ground finishing the spar.

"That had to hurt," Po commented making Tigress chuckle quietly. I helped Tai-Lung up and dusted him off. I could tell he was in a sore mood. I went into teacher mode.

"Your fighting is off. You're fighting too rigid to your style. Lighten up. You've lost the heart of your style," I said to him. I could tell he was confused. "Your style is Leopard style. It can be very useful and effective. But only if you have the heart of the style. Find that style and you'll be able to fight a lot better." I then went over to Po and Tigress who was laughing silently. Tai-Lung smirked.

"You just love seeing people you don't like in pain, don't you?" he said.

"That's what I said!" Po exclaimed. I looked back over to Tai-Lung.

"Learn from Po. He's the best person that can teach you the heart of the Leopard style," I instructed. Tai-Lung wasn't annoyed but confused.

"How's the panda suppose to know anything about feline fighting?" he asked. Po and I did a short laugh.

"Trust us, there is more cat fur on these bodies than there is rat and panda fur," I told him. He laughed. "But do learn from him. He's not the lazy panda that you think he is."

"He's already proven that," Tigress remarked.

"Yay, we're on speaking terms," Po said faking enthusiasm. Then an interesting idea came into my mind.

"Hey, Tai-Lung. How about you join Peng and me in work at the shop?" I offered.

"Thanks but I think I'll stay here," He sadly replied.

"Come on, Tai-Lung. It won't hurt in the least. It could give you a break from all the stress of here. Besides, there's free food...for the employees...and the employer's son," Po said. Tai-Lung thought for a moment.

"What possibly could you lose in just a three hour shift?" I honestly said. That seemed to convince him.

"Alright, I'll go. But I'll just clean," He conditioned as we went out the door to the gates.

"Fine with us. Are you coming Master Tigress?" I asked.

"Sure. Just to make sure that Tai-Lung doesn't burn down the shop," She commented. Tai-Lung glared at the tiger. Then he noticed something.

"How is it that you call her 'master' and you don't call me master?" He asked a little jealous.

"Because I always respect tigers more than I do any other type of feline. Especially if it's a female," I replied.

"Why?" Tigress asked.

"Because I've had an interesting past with female tigers," I said mysteriously. Po snickered then burst out laughing. Tigress and Tai-Lung just stopped for a moment realizing what he meant.


	9. Chapter 9

The Work

* * *

They came to the beginning of the stairs. "Well, let's get started," Tai-Lung said but I stopped him.

"Oh we don't go down that way," I said, "We earth-board down." Tigress and Tai-Lung were puzzled.

"'Earth-board'? What's that?" She asked. Po picked up a long smooth piece of metal from behind a tree and rode down the mountain using the piece of metal like a snowboard.

"That's earth-board. Here's your boards. Meet you down there," I said as I gave them their boards and shred down the mountain. Soon I looked back and saw the two cats riding down along us. Earth-boarding is interesting. The mountain is steep enough for us to ride down, but rough enough to give us some major air time any time we bumped onto a rock. I looked back to see Tai-Lung dodging and missing near rocks and branches. Soon we came to the bottom. Tigress, Tai-Lung and I were able to stop at the bottom. Po...

"AAHHH!" forgot how to stop after too much airtime. He crashed into some bushes.

"That was...interesting," Tai-Lung said still amazed at what he did.

"That was awesome! Let's do it again!" Po exclaimed.

"Maybe later. We got to get to work," I reminded Po. So we went to Mr. Ping's shop. Peng, Mr. Ping, and Ju were all surprised to see us there.

"Uncle? What are you doing here?" Peng asked truly confused.

"I asked him and Tigress to come down here and work with us." I said. I could tell that Peng was worried. "Don't worry, he's only sweeping."

"And this must be Ju." Tai-Lung smiled. Ju shyly bowed. "It's nice to meet you." Po and Tai-Lung both smiled at each other. Before any of them could say anything, Peng said.

"Leave. It. Alone." And the two just shut their lids with smiles on their faces.

"What shall I do?" Tigress asked. Mr. Ping looked around.

"Ah, you can help me with the dishes. Make sure they are good and shiny now," he instructed. "Now, here's your broom, Mr. Tai-Lung. Make sure this place is nice and clean. It's nearly opening time."

"Alright, let's get started," I cheered the team. The morning rush is probably one of the slower rushes. One by one people are coming in because everyone wakes up at a different time. Of course, the Jade Palace's gong is a good alarm for everyone. Soon, Po was having another story time with the children. He talked about the time we were in Mongolia trying to make a tired king sleep. Yes, we actually had a mission like that. We ended up making him laugh so hard that he truly was sleepy. Anyways, the children were fascinated with Tai-Lung. They kept going for his tail.

"AAAHH. I'm not use to these...kids. Can't they leave me alone?" Tai-Lung complained. I chuckled.

"You got to learn to lighten up. These very kids maybe the key to achieving total happiness," I advised him. He was still annoyed. Tigress was laughing a little. I noticed that the kids weren't going to her. I was going to tell the kids to go over to her, but Peng quickly told me.

"Don't do that. She doesn't like kids. Bad memories," He whispered so others wouldn't hear. I clapped my hands and said.

"Alright, time for everyone to go back to their parents. Come on, go." The collective 'aw' was enough to make even Tai-Lung smile. As the children piled out, one kid hugged Tai-Lung and madly giggled away. "They love you."

"They love using my fur. I don't know how Po does this," Tai-Lung said looking over to Po who was being torn apart by little ones. I smiled as Tigress came into the conversation.

"He's always been good with kids. Sparkles of life he calls them. They help him get his mind off things." I said completely casually. I guess Tigress read a little too much into it.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"I mean when ever he's down, he just remembers the children and their bright joyful faces. He needs it. Anyways, table 12 needs bean buns," I said dismissing the discussion. Tai-Lung and Tigress were still at a lost about what I meant by that. We returned to the Jade Palace in the afternoon where Tai-Lung challenged me to another spar, which I beat him again.

"This time your arms were too tense. Relax, you're so conformed to your style," I said.

"What do you mean by the heart of the Leopard style?" He asked. I turned around to face him again.

"Have fun," I stated simply. I could tell he was in confusion, "You are dull and boring with your fighting. Have fun fighting. It looks like you're just fighting for show or something, or that you're stressed. Relax. That's why I want you to learn from Po and me. You and Tigress," I said looking over to the nearby cat who was sitting next to Po, "are way too strict on yourselves and you are not allowing the true and pure nature of your style to show. That's why I say 'have fun'. Now, Po and I need to talk. Can you guys excuse us please?" I asked. As the two exited, I laid my hand on Po's shoulder. "I need you to do something for me that will be a little outside of your field." Po's eyebrow rose up.

"What did you have in mind?" Po asked.

"I want you to go up to the Singing Mountain, meet up with the little duck, and then ask the Master what we should do?" I asked. Po was very confused. Other than talking to the Master, this wasn't out of his field at all.

"Okay, so when do you want me to do that?" Po asked.

"Later, as in about five months," I replied. Po rubbed his head in confusion. "I need something in this plan in order for it to work, but it's going to need some time. This is why I need you to do it." I explained to him my plan. His eyes grew wide.

"Are you sure that they'll be okay with that?" Po asked concerned.

"I don't know, that's why I need some time. In the meanwhile, just do like we've always done and stick to the original plan," I said mysteriously. Po nodded and exited the Training Hall. I picked up my broom and started to sweep, darting my eyes back and forth to see anyone coming.

**To Be Continued**


	10. Chapter 10

The Panda's Mission

* * *

About five months have past. Tai-Lung continued to come down to Mr. Ping's workshop to work. It really took his mind off of things. He and Po started to act like brothers. Always trying to find new ways to have some fun. Innocent fun. His training was getting better the longer he was with Po. I actually have to _try _now in order to beat him. Tigress was lightening up, too. Of course, she and Po would duke it out at night. She kept challenging Po to a spar, and Po, like a sap, kept accepting. Fortunately, Tigress doesn't bounce him down the stairs like she use to. Peng and Ju were all but boyfriend and girlfriend. Mr. Ping didn't really hold Peng accountable when it came to work, so Peng would hang out with Ju at a special place near a beautiful and quiet stream. They would talk and talk, but both were so nervous to make the next move. I couldn't blame them. Love is best when it is patient. But I just wanted them to not have to be so nervous around each other. That's when I remembered something.

I was contemplating this when Po, Tai-Lung and the rest of the group were in the kitchen having breakfast. Then I remembered the discussion I had with Po. It just so happened that Shifu was there eating with us. "Master Shifu," I began, "is it okay if Po could do a job for me? I need to hear from an old friend of mine." Master Shifu looked at me and then returned to his food.

"May I ask what it is about?" He asked.

"It's about a girl that Po met once," I said. That grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. Tigress's eyes sharpened at me.

"Why do you need to see her?" She asked.

"I don't need to see her. I'm asking someone else about her. Plus, this friend has been whining about seeing me for the longest, so I assume that a message that I'm still alive will be sufficient," I said. Tai-Lung began to stand up.

"Maybe we should go. Could be dangerous," He suggested.

"No," I replied a little too quickly, "It's...It's best that Po do this thing alone. Besides, there's no point in wasting your guys' time." Shifu pondered this for a moment.

"Okay, Lion. I give you permission. How long will it take?" He asked.

"About a week. Maybe two depending on how things go," I said. Master Shifu exited the room after that.

"Are you sure that you don't want us to go with you?" Tai-Lung asked concerned. I smiled.

"Thanks, guys, but it's best if Po make this trip alone, right, Po?" I said. Po nodded. Soon, Po got his stuff ready for the trip. He quickly left the mountain, saying good-bye to everyone. I glanced at Tigress. I could see her stiff and worried face. I said nothing.

About ten minutes after Po left, I was sitting in my room in the barracks when Tai-Lung came in. "Have you seen Tigress? I can't seem to find her anywhere," He said.

"Did you look in the Training Hall, her room, Mr. Ping's shop, and if she's with Shifu?" I asked. He nodded. I knew exactly where she was. "Agh! She must have gone with Po. Stubborn cat."

"Should I tell Shifu?" Tai-Lung asked.

"No, we can't allow her to get in trouble right now," I spoke more to myself than to Tai-Lung. "You go after her. Po went to the Singing Mountain. If you run, you'll be able to catch her." With that Tai-Lung was off in a flash. I smiled. My plan had worked. Now I just had to wait until all three of them came back with an interesting story to tell.

* * *

Po was walking through the quiet bamboo forest and was enjoy the peace. He didn't know that Tigress was right behind him in the shadows. About a day had gone by since Po had left, and it was about to be nightfall. So he camped for the night. Tigress watched him in secret. Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth and a strong arm held her in place. She furiously fought. "SSSHHH! It's me. Tai-Lung," he whispered. She seemed to calm down.

"What are you doing here?" she asked frustrated.

"I could ask you the same thing," Tai-Lung whispered back.

"I'm just making sure that the panda doesn't kill himself," Tigress said. Tai-Lung smiled wickedly.

"Awww, does my little sister have a crush on the fluffy bear?" he teased. Tigress punched him in the gut, but she was blushing.

"So why are you here?" she asked eager to know.

"Because Lion and I realized that you weren't at the palace and he sent me to make sure that you came back," Tai-Lung said expecting to get her back immediately. Before she could answer, Po said from the campfire.

"It's too far to turn back now. And since both of you don't have any food with you, you might as well come with me." Tigress and Tai-Lung slowly came out of the shadows ashamed.

"We're sorry, Po. We didn't mean to spy on you," she said. Tai-Lung didn't say a word until Tigress nudged him in the ribs.

"Oh, yeah. We're sorry," he recovered.

"It's all right," Po replied. "I expected someone would try and follow me. You might as well come with me. You're too far in this trip to turn back now." Tigress seemed to brighten up after hearing that. "But I warn you. There are somethings on this trip that you won't believe," Po said ominously. Tigress and Tai-Lung looked at each other with a confused look as they sat and ate with Po.

Now there is a legend behind the Singing Mountain. It's about a fabled musician going there to compose a music. The music he wrote was so good that the mountain began to shine brightly. So bright that people from far away could see it. But no one knows who or what happened to the musician but the mountain still shines sometimes on its snowy top. Tigress and Tai-lung would soon see if that story was true.


	11. Chapter 11

The Master

* * *

They went through the forest until they came to the mighty snow mountain. Po looked at the sun. "Come," He said to Tigress and Tai-Lung, "We got to get to the top before nightfall." They started struggling up the mountain nearly falling a couple times. Tai-Lung was getting worried for Po.

"Why do you need to be up here before night fall?" he asked trying to be heard above the blizzard.

"Because after nightfall, the opening to the inside of the mountain closes. So we need to get moving," Po shouted back. They moved on. Finally, they came to a cave. Po looked at the setting sun. "We made it." They went into the cave. Po lit a torch that he brought on the way. The cave was very deep and had a lot of tunnels. They finally came to a large opening that allowed a dull light in from the top of the mountain. "We'll wait until he comes," Po said sitting down.

"Are we going to see your Master?" Tigress asked. Po shook his head.

"You guys are going to see a duck," Po said confusing them. Then they heard flapping. They looked up to the opening at the top of the mountain to see a little duckling flying in. When he touched the ground, he looked around to see Po, Tigress, and Tai-Lung. The duck looked to be seven or six. He smiled and ran up to the sitting panda to hug him.

"Po it's you!" he said. Po hugged back.

"Nice to see you too, Zan," Po replied.

"Who are you guys?" Zan pointed to the other two curious.

"Well, I'm Tai-Lung and this is Tigress," Tai-Lung explained.

"I'm Zan, director of the Singing Mountain," Zan replied excited to tell. Tigress and Tai-Lung were confused.

"Director?" Tigress asked.

"You see, the Singing Mountain actually has a special cast that makes the mountain sing. Zan why don't you start your song?" Po said to the duck.

"Okay. We've been practicing, too. Which one do you want to hear?" Zan asked. Po pretended to think.

"How about you do my favorite song? The one about servants." Po suggested. Zan giggled with excitement and started for the center of the area. He tapped his stick on the ground, raised his hands up in the air, waited a minute, and swung them back down.

Mysteriously, soft music started to play. A flute and harp. Then a small shining bunny girl appeared out of nowhere in a white robe, singing:

I, the Lord of sea and sky,  
I have heard my people cry  
All who dwell in deepest sin  
My hand will save

I, who made the stars of night  
I will make their darkness bright  
Who will bear my light to them?  
Whom shall I send?

Then other shining animals in white robes came in singing:

Here I am, Lord  
Is it I, Lord?  
I have heard you calling in the night.  
I will go, Lord.  
If you lead me.  
I will hold Your people in my heart.

The music slowly crescendos into a loud triumphant blast with hundreds of other animals in white robes lighting up the entire mountain like it was daytime

I, the Lord of wind and flame  
I will tend the poor and lame  
I will set a feast for them  
My hand will save

Finest bread I will provide,  
Till their hearts be satisfied.  
I will give my life to them  
Whom shall I send?

Here I am, Lord  
Is it I, Lord?  
I have heard you calling in the night.  
I will go, Lord.  
If you lead me.  
I will hold Your people in my heart.

Then the music quieted to a sweet ending. Then all the shining animals were gone. Tigress and Tai-Lung stood beyond amazed of what they saw. They looked at each other and then looked at Po. "What was that?" the both asked.

"The Master's angels. They come down here to practice singing for him. It really is simply amazing. Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to go be alone," Po said as he went down one of the tunnels. Tigress looked at him and said to Zan.

"We'll be right back, Zan. We need to check on Po," she said running after him. Tai-Lung sighed.

"Here we go again," he muttered chasing after her. Zan shrugged as he flew out the mountain. He usually only plays one song. Tigress and Tai-lung again hid out of sight while Po looked around for a place to be safe. He placed the torch on the floor when he hit a dead end. Tigress and Tai-Lung watched behind a rock. "I don't know what I'm doing. I've never even talked to the Master. How am I suppose to know his voice?" Po said frustrated.

"Po," A voice said. Po looked around. "Po."

"I'm here," Po said cautiously still looking for where the voice was coming from. "Who are you?"

"I am the Master," the voice said. Po noticed the torch burning brighter. He watched it and saw that it was twice the size it once was. Po immediately bowed to the ground and said.

"Master, we need your help. We need to know what we are to do now," Po asked. Tigress and Tai-Lung watched in amazement.

"Po, I have seen the hurt and pain that my people have put on themselves," The Master said, the torch pulsing each time it spoke. "They need a protector that will be there for them. I want to bring them out of their suffering and bring them into truth and peace. And so, to protect the people, I shall choose...you." Po instantly lifted his head.

"Me? Why me? I can't lead or protect these people. They won't listen to me," Po argued.

"They will listen and you'll be able to protect them," The Master said.

"But you know what these people have done to me. You know the past I've gone through with these people. You've made a complete mistake, Master! I'm not even one of their kind!" Po ended up shouting. Then the flame lit up like an explosion as it knocked Po flat on his feet. The Master shouted back.

"Who made animal-kind? Who made the leopard, bear, the lion and the lamb? Did not I?! Now, Go!" Po was panting on the ground, huddled up in a corner. He was scared. The flames kindled around Po, lifting him up but it didn't hurt him. The Master spoke in a gentler tone. "Po, you must forgive these people. As I have forgiven you. But remember this, I will be with you always, even to the end of time. Have faith in me, Po, and you will always be my chosen warrior. I will be with you, Po."

The flames turned to normal as the torch remained the same it was before. Po got up, took the torch in hand, and walked out. Then he heard something, sniffed around, and said.

"I know you're there guys. Come out," Po said. Tigress and Tai-Lung came out completely speechless. "Listen, don't tell anyone of what you've seen or heard. Not until I tell you so." Po and them walked out sadly. Tigress was starting to worry about Po. Zan had already left, so they went out the cave to see the sun again. "It's sunrise. We better get going," Po said firmly as he started down the mountain.

"How did the time go by so fast?" Tigress asked.

"That happens," Po stated simply. Tigress and Tai-Lung were worried but said nothing all the way back down.

* * *

**Sorry for the religious song. I just really like how the song sounds. **


	12. Chapter 12

The Return

* * *

When they came down the mountain, Po was extremely hungry. Then he remembered about his old friend that lived in the village near by the Singing Mountain. "We'll go by her restaurant and see if she'll be okay with us eating," Po told them. Tigress seemed to be uneasy with the person being a 'her'. They got to the village, and when they got to Po's friend's shop, they saw that it was being robbed by wolf bandits.

"Give us your lot," the leader wolf demanded. Po said nothing as he just grabbed the wolf by the neck and flung him out the doorway. Tigress and Tai-Lung helped with the other wolves, too. After that, the woman dusted herself off, not even recognizing Po.

"Thanks, but I could have taken them on," she said prideful of herself. Po laughed.

"You were always the righteous type when Lion and I were here," Po said. The woman finally recognized Po. She ran up to him and hugged him tight.

"Po!" she said. "So good to see you."

"Hey, Mai," Po replied. Mai was a beautiful snow leopardess who was as old as Tai-Lung, who was 39. Her long silky blue dragon-style dress matched her lovingly blue eyes. She had an hour-glass figure with a little more on the top than the bottom. Age didn't seem to affect her for she looked like 25. Tai-Lung's mouth dropped. Tigress laughed as she whispered to him.

"Stare too long, and she might catch on fire," she teased. Tai-Lung immediately looked away, embarrassed.

"I'm not staring, and I doubt that I'll see her again," He whispered back.

"So who are your friends?" Mai said looking over to the two cats.

"This is Tai-Lung and Tigress. They're traveling with me. We were wondering if we could get some food before we leave," Po begged.

"Oh of course," she said getting some already made food, "I know it's not the same as your father's but I try." Po chuckled.

"Your cooking is fine, Mai," Po reassured.

"So where's my little rat friend?" Mai asked leaning on Po's chair.

"Oh, he's back at the Valley of Peace," Po replied. Mai's eyes lit up. "What's the matter?"

"Well, thing is that I'm just moving to the Valley of Peace," Mai replied. This made Tai-lung drop his head in defeat while Tigress failed at trying to hide a laugh. Po and Mai looked at them strangely.

"What's so funny?" Po asked.

"Nothing," Both Tigress and Tai-Lung said.

"Anyways, why are you moving to the Valley of Peace?" Po asked.

"Well, I just figured that this place is really small so I thought that I would work with your dad," Mai said. Now, Po, Tigress, and Tai-Lung laughed. "What is it?"

"It's just that Mr. Ping already has a lot of cats working there," Tigress chuckled. Mai shrugged.

"Well, I know that we would be happy for you to come there, right guys," Po asked. Tigress nodded but Tai-Lung nodded vigorously. "We can help you move now."

"That would be appreciated," Mai said. They soon helped her pack up the things and were on their way to the Valley of Peace. "Um...Po can I ask you something a little private?" She asked in a hushed voice.

"Sure, what is it?" he asked. Mai was nervously blushing.

"Well, it's that guy um...Tai-Lung is it? How... old is he?" she asked.

"39 I believe," Po said seeing Mai light up, "He's also a Kung Fu fighter and single."

"Really? I mean, Po!" Mai said embarrassed. "I'm not thinking that."

"Not yet," Po added. Po smiled as he looked back to see Tai-Lung staring at Mai. Whenever she would look back, Tai-Lung would avert his eyes to the sky.

Finally, they got home. Earlier than expected. They dropped Mai's stuff at Mr. Ping's and Tigress, Tai-Lung, and Po went back up the mountain. "You think she'll like it here?" Tai-Lung asked concerned.

"Of course she will. Especially, if you're here," Po said with a wicked smile. Tigress shook her head.

"Po!" Tai-Lung shouted. Po laughed as they entered the Jade Palace where Shifu was waiting. Tigress bowed her head in shame.

"Ah, Tigress and Tai-Lung. It's good that you made it back. I trust that your trip with Po was safe," he said not the least angry.

"Yes, Master Shifu," they said bowing.

"Well, it's a good thing that Lion decided to send both of you in the end. I thought that you wouldn't be able to catch up with the panda," Shifu replied. Tigress was about to say something, but Po and Tai-Lung covered her mouth.

"Yep, yep that's what happened. We completely followed Lion's orders." Tai-Lung said sheepishly smiling. Shifu raised his eyebrow but decided to let it go. As he walked away, I came out of the Training Hall to greet them. I saw Shifu leaving. "Did you-"

"Yes, I told Shifu that I decided to send both of you with Po just so that you wouldn't get in trouble. You can thank me later," I told them. Tigress still had her head in shame.

"We're sorry, Master Lion. We didn't mean to disobey your orders," Tigress said. I was a little thrown off with the 'master' thing.

"We?" Tai-Lung asked. Tigress sighed.

"Okay, _I_ didn't mean to disobey your orders," Tigress repented. I placed my hand on her shoulder and brought her chin up.

"It's alright. But next time please ask me personally before you sneak on a mission with Po. Some of the missions I send him on are dangerous. So I trust that you met Zan and Mai?" I asked knowingly. They both nodded. "Good. Very good," Then I saw Master Oogway coming. "Uh oh. Tigress, Tai-Lung, you mind going into the Training Hall for a second? I'll be right there with you." So then they left as Oogway came.

"You are moving too slow. At this rate, I'll never see change," The turtle complained. I crossed my arms, looked him dead in the eyes, and said.

"It would be easier if you told us what caused this mess in the first place, and why you can't fix it yourself!" I said firmly containing my anger. "Why are these students like this? What happened to them? You couldn't have been blind to all this. Tell us what happened." Oogway was stunned by my outburst. Then he sighed. We did deserve a fair explanation. Otherwise, how could we fix a problem we couldn't even see.

"Okay I'll tell you," Oogway started.

**To be Continued.**

* * *

**This may seem like a strange ****question, but how much can you get away with when writing a M-rated story?**


	13. Chapter 13

The Explanation

* * *

"I think it all started when Tai-Lung came," Oogway started, "He was an orphan, and Shifu took him under his wing. He loved Tai-Lung like his own son. Then Tai-Lung showed interest in Kung Fu and Shifu started to train Tai-Lung to be the ultimate warrior, the Dragon Warrior. When he was 17, Shifu presented him to me to be announced the Dragon Warrior but I said no. Both Shifu and Tai-Lung were shocked. Tai-Lung was mad for a while, to the point where I think he would have hurt someone, but there was nothing he could do. So he went into a depression."

"Why didn't you give the Dragon Warrior title to Tai-Lung?" Po asked angry too because his brother didn't get the title. "He's strong, brave, knows all the moves of Kung Fu-"

"But he wasn't the one," Oogway interrupted, "He wasn't ready. He wasn't the one to understand the secret of the scroll. Anyways, Shifu was lost, too. With his son in a depression and not chosen to be Dragon Warrior, he had to train someone else. So Tigress came from the orphanage. But Shifu never really showed the love that he showed for Tai-Lung, and I think that's why she trains so much, to impress her father. She hated Tai-Lung for taking Shifu's love away from her. You already know about Peng's case of not being important. Shifu is at a lost here because he doesn't know who to train. And he's not at peace. So that's the situation here." My teeth were gnashed together as I spoke through them.

"You mean that all this was happening around you and you didn't do a thing about it?" I asked still angry.

"There was nothing I could do. I tried to give them each advise but they wouldn't seem to listen," Oogway replied. I sighed in frustration. Ultimately, he was right. These students were stubborn. I straightened up and said.

"I guess you're right. We'll fix it."

"How? When?" Oogway asked.

"Be patient young one. All will be revealed shortly," I told him as Po and I went to the Training Hall. There, Tai-Lung and Tigress were sparring. It looked like Tai-Lung was winning. I spoke to Po bluntly, "You get Tigress and I get Tai-Lung." Then I shouted over to them, pretending nothing had happened, "Okay, Tai-Lung time for your training." The two cats stopped fighting.

"Good thing. I was just about to beat Tigress," Tai-Lung said full of pride.

"You wish, Tai," she replied calling him by his nickname to irritate him. Tai-Lung growled playfully.

"That's enough!" I snapped for a moment catching both of them off guard. I calmed down. I couldn't allow myself to do something like that or I'd look like Shifu. "Tigress could you please excuse Tai-Lung and me for a moment?" Tigress slowly walked off with Po, looking back at Tai-Lung with a shrug.

"What's wrong?" Tigress whispered to Po. Po sadly shook his head.

"I'll tell you later. If this goes well," He whispered back in a solemn tone making Tigress even more worried. When they were out the door, I took my stance. Tai-Lung slowly took his.

"Lion, is something wrong? You seem angry," Tai-Lung asked. I suddenly started to punch him and the spar started. While we were sparring, we talked.

"Why do you practice Kung Fu?" I asked sternly.

"Because it's an honor to be able to do it." Tai-Lung answered dodging my punch.

"That's not good enough!" I shouted at him unleashing a fury of punches.

"What's wrong with you?" Tai-Lung asked desperately dodging the punches.

"Why did you want the Dragon Scroll?" I asked. This made Tai-Lung get serious.

"Because it's the highest honor of all the land," He replied taking the offense.

"But why did you really want it?!" I shouted at him. He seemed to snap.

"To make Shifu proud! He filled me up with dreams, he told me to train until my bones cracked, and he denied me my destiny!" Tai-Lung shouted nearly pounding me to the ground. "All I ever did, I did to make him proud! Is he proud of me now? Is HE?!" He delivered the final blow to me, launching me into a pillar. We were both panting as I spoke.

"He was...always proud of you. Every day he was proud of you. So much so that he didn't realize what he was making you into. A cold-hearted warrior. When we came, we heard how much Peng had to go through with you. All he wanted was to be important to you! Don't do the same mistake your master did. Shifu loves you so much that he doesn't even love the others as much as you, if at all. You know, the real reason Tigress doesn't like you that much, is because she's been trying to get Shifu to love her the way he did you. And she has never received love from him, or anyone else. You're her brother, you're suppose to help her through this time. Stop being cold because someone doesn't seem to be proud of you. You have a new chapter in your life. Think about Mai." Tai-Lung's cold expression slowly soften. He began to recall all the times he was corrected by Shifu and all the time Shifu corrected Tigress. The number gap was enormous. That's why Tigress didn't remotely respect Tai-Lung. She never had any type of love. That's why she trained so much. Tai-Lung bowed and said.

"Thank you, Master Lion. For fixing my view of things. I...didn't know how blind I was. Thank you for giving me my sight," he said as he helped me up.

"Glad to help. Now, let's get down the mountain and catch up with Po and Tigress. I believe Mai's all settled. You know she's single and really 39, right?" I said teasingly.

"She is? I mean, Lion!" Tai-Lung said embarrassed. I laughed as we went down to the gates and earth-boarded down the mountain. Two monsters down. Now I had to wait for Po to do his magic.


	14. Chapter 14

The Tiger

* * *

It's come to my realization that I never properly explained the...dimensions of Po. While Po is a panda, he is very slim for one. He use to weigh about 290 lbs. but with my training he dropped to a 190 in remarkable speed. While he still had a belly, it was dense not pudgy. Anyways, we rode down the mountain with Tai-Lung getting some grass stains on him for a slip-up. He brushed himself off as we went into Mr. Ping's shop. The shop was completely different by now. Mr. Ping had expanded the shop wider and bigger to accommodate the customers and employees. He even got a second story for the customers. It had a low light setting displaying a romantic atmosphere. I looked around the ground floor for Po and Tigress. In a corner table, I saw Peng and Ju sitting together eating a bowl of noodles. Tai-Lung and I smiled. Then we saw something I didn't think we would. Ju looked into Peng's eyes, smiled, and kissed him! On the Lips! And Peng was kissing back. Tai-Lung and I were flabbergasted. I snuck my way around and hid behind a plant next to Peng. "Peng. Peng. Get over here," I whispered. Peng was freaked out that I was in the plant but obeyed. I grabbed him back over to where Tai-Lung and I were. "Details," I said sternly.

"About what?" Peng said pretending not to know.

"Ju. And you. Details," Tai-Lung said firmly. Peng looked to the ground.

"Yeah, well...it turns out that me and Ju...are...dating," Peng said lowly and scared.

"When did this happened?" I asked.

"When you guys left for that Mountain trip. Ju and I were just sitting next to each other when Ju out of the blue kissed me on the cheek. I asked her what was that for and she nervously said that she loved me. I told her that I loved her too, and she was so happy. Then I kissed her on the lips and we started dating," Peng explained. Just then Ju came up hearing the conversation.

"That's not a problem, is it? Because if Peng's in trouble, it's my fault," Ju said ashamed. Both Tai-Lung and I laughed when we heard this.

"Trouble? The only trouble he's in is not telling us. We knew you guys had a thing for each other the minute you guys met. We just didn't know when you guys would go to the next step. I'm so happy for you two," I said tearfully blowing my nose...into Tai-Lung's tail.

"Hey!" he said in disgust, "Get your own tail to sneeze into." We all laughed. Then Mai started to come to the front. Tai-Lung quickly readied himself. "Do I look okay?" He said nervous. I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"Hold on, you have something on your face," I said trying to get it. Then I slapped his face. Ju and Peng snickered.

"Hi guys!" Mai greeted.

"Mai. Good to see you're settling in," Tai-Lung said smiling but glaring at me. Mai picked up on this.

"He slapped you when you asked if you looked okay, didn't he?" Mai said knowingly.

"He's done this to you?" Tai-Lung asked.

"No, he gets it from me," Mai sighed. I smiled childishly.

"Mommy!" I said in a kid's voice. Everyone chuckled. "Speaking of children, where are my little cat and panda?"

"Oh, I saw Po and Tigress past the shop actually. Po looked kind of sad," Mai replied. Uh-Oh.

"Tai-Lung, you stay here for a moment. Get to know Mai," I said pushing him into her. They blushed and laughed nervously. "I need to find Po." I rushed out the shop to find the cat and panda. I finally found them walking in the bamboo woods together. It sounded like they just finished a conversation.

"So that's why Lion's talking to Tai-Lung alone," Po finished. Tigress crossed her arms.

"So that's why he was so depressed all the time. I never knew about that," Tigress said thoughtfully. Po lowered his head. "There's something else, isn't there? Something you're not telling me." Po sighed.

"We were also told about your problem," Po replied. Tigress began in her prideful mood.

"I have no problem. A true-"

"For the love of pete, Tigress! A true warrior may do all those things, but you're not a true warrior!" Po said harshly. He soon regretted that when he saw Tigress's face sadden.

"You think I'm not a true warrior? You wouldn't be the first," She said sadly.

"No, you're not a true warrior. You're more than that and I don't think you realize that," Po replied. This made Tigress lift her head up.

"What do you mean?" Tigress asked hopefully.

"You've been looking for love your entire life and have never received it. Especially from Shifu. I understand that you see him as a father, but you must understand that you can't live like this. Shifu does love you. He may not show it, but he does love you. The very fact that you are still in the Jade Palace is a sign that he loves you. Lion and I were nearly thrown out the Jade Palace just for cleaning in a different way. You remember when he wanted us gone? Not you. It's not just because you're part of the Furious Five that you're there. It's because Shifu loves you. Even if he didn't, you've got to stop trying to impress him. You got to stop holding Tai-Lung accountable for something he didn't do. You are appreciated. If not by the people, then by us," Po said with outstretched arms, not really expecting Tigress to jump in them. But he was wrong. Tigress stood there for a moment and ran up and hugged him. This caught Po off guard.

"Thank you, Po. No one's ever said something like that to me," she said for the first time calling his name. She sounded tearful. Po gently rubbed her head unintentionally causing her to purr. Tigress quickly realized this and jumped out of Po's arms blushing. Po smiled and put a hand on Tigress's shoulder as she hugged him again and purred. I smiled. Two monsters down on the same day. We were making up for lost time. Now we had the biggest problem, Shifu.

**To be Continued. **


	15. Chapter 15

The Last One

* * *

Three monsters down. One more to go, but I had a feeling that after this we wouldn't be leaving soon. I soon came out of my hiding place, surprising both Tigress and Po hugging. They immediately separated. Po cleared his throat. "So um...how did your conversation with Tai-Lung go?" Po asked blushing. I smiled.

"He'll be okay. And I see that you have helped Master Tigress with her situation," I said making them both blush and stutter. "Good, we're making record time. Now, let's get back to the shop and find your brother, Tai-Lung." I said starting back to the village with the two in tow. "Oh that reminds me. I forgot to tell you that Peng and Ju took the next step." Po was stunned.

"You're kidding. You mean that Peng and Ju are finally boyfriend and girlfriend?" He asked amazed. I nodded my head. "Awesome! It's about time." Tigress chuckled. I turned back to her.

"It's a good thing that you are laughing now. Gives me an easier conscience," I said confusing her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Every time I see someone that isn't happy, I feel sorry for them. Same thing with Po. Why do you think he's been willing to spar with you at the risk of falling down the stairs again?" I said. Tigress looked at Po who nodded.

"Thanks, Po," She said smiling. Po laughed nervously.

"Well, I umm...try my best," Po stuttered.

"So that just leaves two other couples that I need to see together," I said smirking. Po was confused.

"I know that one couple is Mai and Tai-Lung, but who is.." Then he stopped short after he saw me smiling, "Lion, we're just friends." I said something in Arabic and Po groaned.

"What did he say?" Tigress asked not understanding. Po was embarrassed.

"He...um...said that he just wanted some grandkids," Po muttered, "He can be like my father sometimes. Eccentric."

"That's just a fancy word for crazy," I replied. We got to the shop and there we saw Peng and Ju still in the same corner, but at another corner we saw Mai and Tai-Lung casually chatting and laughing. "Wow, he's quick." This made Tigress and Po laugh. Now, things would be a little easier.

* * *

Five months passed. Shifu commented that Tigress' training had greatly improved to the point that she could teach herself. Tigress and Po had become closer friends as well as Mai and Tai-lung. Everyone was happy, and I could see Master Shifu was happy, too. I talked to him as we watched Tigress and Po spar. Tai-Lung and Peng were on the other side laughing about some joke they told each other. "You know, you seem happier than when we came here," I said.

"Well, I guess that the surrounding happiness is the reason why," He replied chuckling a little. I was still serious. "Why so serious?"

"It's about what you did to your students," I replied mysteriously.

"What about it?" he asked.

"You see, I could see by myself that both of them wanted to make you proud. Tai-Lung trained to get the Dragon Scroll, and Tigress trained to get your love."

"I was proud of both of them," Shifu said defensively.

"Yes, but hear me out first. Tai-Lung wanted to make you proud of him. So he trained and trained for the Dragon Scroll to make you proud. But when Oogway said otherwise he knew that you wouldn't be a bit proud. So he sank into depression."

"I never realized that. I was always proud of him. But then I realized that my pride had gotten in the way of what I was turning him into."

"So you chose to not show any proudness or love. Which is why Tigress was the way she was. She trained to get you to love her, but you never showed it. She tried so much to just receive a loving word from you, but you gave few. You never love someone like Tai-Lung or since. That's why she never liked Tai-Lung. Then you never showed Peng any importance. A whole year without a break, Shifu?! That's murder! Even you can't do that. That's why he was depressed to come here all the time. You don't know how to love properly. I'm just telling you why your students were the way they were before we came. " Shifu thought about what he had just been told. It was a lot to swallow. Then he did the one thing I didn't think he would do. He bowed to ME and said.

"Thank you, Master Lion. Thank you for telling me the truth." I smiled. Po and Tigress were done sparring when Oogway came into the room. Both Po and I walked out the door when I bitterly said to the turtle.

"Your welcome." Oogway hung his head in shame. We decided to rest in the Barracks this time. Then Peng, Tai-Lung, Tigress, and Shifu came to our door. They all had a questioning face.

"Why did you do that to Oogway?" Shifu asked more curious than upset.

"He's part of the reason why you guys had these problems when we came. He's the one who called the Master for us to help you. We were given a mission of changing you guys. But all of this wouldn't have happened if he had just done something about it," I replied.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you have to unleash your fury on him," Peng said.

"Peng's right. Even if it was his fault, you can't hold that against him. You taught us to forgive the people that hurt us." Tigress replied. I laughed a bit.

"Of all the things I've taught you, that is the only one that you remember?" I asked. This caused a chuckling and lightened up the mood. "But I guess you're right. I should follow my own advice. Still, that doesn't excuse him from not at least taking action."

"But if I remember correctly, you're the only ones that know how to change stubborn people. And isn't it our fault for not listening and learning to change our character in the first place?" Tai-Lung reminded us. I groaned. I hated it when the students are right.

"Okay, Okay. I'll apologize to Oogway. Meanwhile, don't you two cats have a date?" I reminded Tai-Lung and Peng. Their eyes lit up as they dashed off. I smiled.

"Well, our work here is officially done," Po said resting back on his mat. Shifu and I left already leaving Tigress at the door. Tigress was worried.

"Does that mean that you'll be leaving?" She asked as she came and sat in the room. Po looked over to her.

"Well, not yet. Until the Master comes up with another mission for us. Until then, we stay here." Po replied nonchalantly. Tigress was still antsy.

"But you're not leaving soon, right?" she asked. Po picked up that she was worried.

"Tigress, what's wrong?" Po asked.

"Nothing. I...just...don't want you...to leave," Tigress said embarrassed. Po took her paw.

"Thanks. It's nice to know I'm cared about. But I don't think I'll be leaving anytime soon," Po said relieving Tigress. Then Zeng came in.

"Bandits! Village! Go! Now!" He panted out, and off they were. But Po was right. We would not be leaving anytime soon. Especially after what happened next.


	16. Chapter 16

The Dragon Warrior

* * *

Seven months had passed and Tigress and Po have gotten closer and closer. Mai and Tai-Lung started dating about six mouths ago. But today, everyone was here to see Master Oogway for he had a special announcement. "My students are ready Master Oogway," Shifu said bowing.

"As is mine," I replied.

"Very good. Today, I will choose the Dragon Warrior," Everyone gasped. Everyone knew it wouldn't be Tai-Lung, but Tai-Lung and Peng didn't want it at this point. They just wanted happy lives. Tigress still had dreams about being Dragon Warrior, but was okay with not being it. She still had her friends. So everyone thought it would be me, considering my skills. Of course, I knew for sure who the Dragon Warrior would be. "It is...Po," the turtle said pointing to the panda. Everyone gasped but then cheered.

"Congratulations, Po." Monkey said.

"I knew it! Pay up Mantis," Tai-Lung smirking as the bug handed over the money.

"I'm proud of you, Po," Shifu said. Tigress placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

Po was completely shocked beyond excitement...or sadness. He stumbled out of the Hall of Heroes, confusing everybody.

"I'll go talk to him," I offered. Tigress stopped me.

"With your permission, Master Lion, I would like to comfort him," She said bowing. I smiled as I nodded. I watched her run off as I explained to everyone why Po didn't want to be Dragon Warrior.

* * *

Po was in the bamboo forest sitting there angrily punching the ground. "You might pound your way to the center of the Earth," Tigress commented. Po groaned.

"What are you doing here?" He muttered.

"Wondering why you're upset. Being Dragon Warrior is the greatest honor there-"

"I don't want to be Dragon Warrior! I don't want to be this village's protector. I never did," Po said frustrated.

"Why?" Tigress asked.

"I just don't want to."

"There's a specific reason why you don't. What is it?" Tigress prodded

"Why should I protect these people?! After all they did to me?!" Po shouted. Tigress seemed hurt. "Tigress, I didn't mean to shout."

"You never told us about your childhood here. Mind telling me?" Tigress asked sitting down. Po was silent for a long time before talking.

"No one wanted me. No one cared for me, no one liked me. They called me a fat stupid panda. Sure my dad gave me comfort and help, but it's not enough when a whole entire village is against you. Bandits and neighborhood kids alike use to pick on me and bully me. Now you know why I left with Lion so quickly. I didn't even think. The only person I regretted leaving behind was my father. But I wanted out. And the rest of the world was kind to a panda. I made friends where I thought I wouldn't. Even among bandits. Why should I protect these people?" Po finally asked. Tigress was silent for a while.

"You know, I thought that you and I were completely different, but now I see that you just hide your afflictions better than me. Po, you remember what the Master told you in the Singing Mountain? This must be it. The time has come. You must forgive these people because they don't know what they do." Tigress said putting a hand on his shoulder. Po sighed.

"I guess you're right," He replied.

"A true warrior forgives his enemies," Tigress said jokingly. Po laughed.

"You've learned well, my pupil," Po said. Then an idea came into mind. "Hey, I have a game we can play. Tag you're it!" Po said tapping Tigress. Tigress instantly chased after Po. They played this for a long time until the sunset. Then it happened. As Tigress was chasing after Po, her instincts were kicking in. She finally tackled Po, landing on his back. Tigress playfully growled as Po laughed. The two were out of breath. "Well, the tale is true. Tigers play hard," Po grunted a joke.

"Sorry if I hurt you," Tigress panted out.

"Nah, I'm actually used to stuff like this happening. I've lived with tigers you know, and their kids will play rough," Po said. Their breathing started to calm down. Then Tigress asked something.

"Po, do you remember that first night I sparred with you?" She asked. Po nodded.

"How can I forget? That was the night I was bounced down the stairs." he joked. Tigress chuckled.

"Sorry about that. But you and Lion were talking about something. Then you guys said that you get me and Lion would get Tai-Lung. But I distinctly remember you saying I was 'drop-dead gorgeous' and denying you were in love with me," Tigress said. Po rubbed the back of his neck.

"Heh. Um...yeah umm."

"Did you mean it? That I was pretty," Tigress asked.

"Of course! You're the most beautiful tiger I've ever seen, and that's saying something," Po said stroking her back. Tigress welcomed the action, purring and blushing.

"I'm flattered," she laughed, "So you don't think I'm mean, boyish, a monster, or that my purring is weird." She said nervous.

"Tigress, Lion and I will tell you up-front that among felines, tigers are the most beautiful, and in my opinion, you beat them all. You are only a monster of beauty and awesomeness. Mean? Hot tempered I think, but you are not mean. Boyish? You're a Kung Fu Warrior. So what if you don't do the things most women do? That just makes you more unique. And your purring is...enticing," Po said trying not to blush. Unfortunately, Tigress put the woman charm on.

"Really? Enticing how?" she said lowly and seductively while purring. Po's head was overheating. Tigress chuckled at his reaction. It was fun to push his buttons sometimes. Especially the ones that made him blush. But now, it was time for the real question. "But did you mean it when you said you don't love me?" Tigress said looking away sadly. Po took a deep breath and made her look back at him, putting his hand on her cheek.

"I never said that," he said softly. Their heads slowly came together as their lips kissed each other. They could feel their heartbeats pounding at their chests. Tigress purred through the kiss as Po smiled. Tigress's tongue begged for entrance as Po quickly complied. While exploring each other's mouths, Po rubbed Tigress's back again. After they parted, they looked into each others eyes. They were blushing enormously.

"I love you, too," Tigress whispered. Po smiled as they kissed again with same passion. Then Po realized that the heat to his head was going downward. So Po broke the kiss and said.

"Come on, let's get back to the village. I'm sure the others are worried," Po said letting Tigress get off of him. They went through the forest with Tigress's head on Po's shoulder. Po still seemed nervous.

"What's wrong?" Tigress asked.

"I'm just...this is new to me. I've never thought that I would have a girlfriend," Po confessed. Tigress smiled as she leaned her head back on his shoulder.

"Really? I would think that a warrior like you would have lots of girlfriends. You're so sweet. But I'm kind of nervous too. I've never experienced something like this. But I know that I wouldn't want to experience it with anyone else, Dragon Warrior," She replied. "But um...Po? Is it okay that we keep this thing a secret?"

"Yeah, I agree. I don't think I want to tell the others just yet. I can already see Lion's wicked 'I told you so' smile," Po said causing Tigress to giggle. They finally got to the village where they acted like nothing happened.

**To be continued**

* * *

**I think I'm getting too... Intimate with ****these romances. What do you think? **


	17. Chapter 17

The End

* * *

Two years have passed and everyone's in a relationship. Po and Tigress came out with their little thing about three months into the two years. Peng and Ju have grown up and gotten, wait for it, married! Now 19, they decided to get married. I could see that they got most of the secrets of being a happy ever-lasting couple. They did have their fights but nothing they couldn't workout. I was happy for them. Tai-Lung and Mai have become a closer couple. Since Po and Tigress have come out with their relationship, they've had a pretty good life. For the most part, they've been very compassionate of others.

One day, Tigress was training with Master Shifu and I. Po was on the side watching. After we were done, Shifu said, "Very good Master Tigress. You have improved greatly with your training with Lion and Po. Mostly Po." He looked over to the smiling panda. "Though I'm worried about your landing on some of your attacks."

"Yeah. Your landing seems a little...strained. Relax, Let the landing flow. Yes, there are some attacks you can be abrupt and spontaneous on, but there are some that you need to be smooth. Okay, I think we've lectured you enough. We're done for the day. We'll give you guys some private time," I said leaving with Shifu. Tigress went over to Po, laid her back down on his lap, and stretched her body out. Po shook his head.

"I'm starting to think that you are getting too friendly around me. Although, I will say that you are much friendlier and happier than when first I came here. And a lot more playful," Po said still reading a scroll and rubbing Tigress's belly. Tigress smirked.

"Are you saying I was boring before you came?" Tigress asked.

"No, just serious. Not that I don't like it," Po replied. Tigress started to purr.

"Well, nice of you to notice. You're so sweet," Tigress said. Then Po had an idea. He smiled wickedly. "Po, what are you thinking?" Tigress asked cautiously. Po didn't reply. He just started to tickle Tigress's feet. Tigress bursted out laughing. "Poooohhhh! Stop hahahahaha! That tickles! HAHAAHHAHa!"

"That's the point my dear," replied Po continuing to tickle her until she nearly past out.

"Well...That was...fun," Tigress said out of breath. Po smiled.

"Nice to know my kitty's playing and having fun," He said. Tigress smiled as she rubbed her face against his face purring. Po nervously chuckled.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could show me why the tigers liked you so much," Tigress said seductively. Po whimpered while Tigress smiled at his actions. Tigress kissed Po but Po parted the kiss.

"How about when we're married," Po suggested. Tigress pouted a little. But Po reached into his pocket and pulled out something. A ring. Tigress gasped. "And I think I want to be married to you for a long time," Po said with a smile. Tigress tackled Po to the floor as she exclaimed over and over 'yes'. Meanwhile, Shifu and I were hiding out of sight listening to the conversation.

"Told you she would say yes," Shifu said to me. I smiled as I shook my head. Then we went to the kitchen where Mei-Ling and Zeng were cooking.

Oh yeah! I forgot about Shifu and Mei-Ling. Mei-Ling is this little red fox that use to be Shifu's ex. She use to be a criminal before Po and I were sent on a mission to get her. Now, she and Shifu are back together and happy. So far, I'm the only one that's single. Not that I want to be in a relationship. I want to stay single.

"Hey, honey. How was training?" Mei-Ling asked us.

"Nice, and Po proposed to Tigress," I said nonchalantly. Mei-Ling and Zeng both stopped what they were doing to look at me. Mei-Ling smiled.

"Wonderful," She replied. "So when's the wedding?" Shifu and I groaned. We didn't want to know. Last wedding was stressful, but the end result was worth it.

"Let's just take a step at a time. Heh, I wish Master Oogway was here to see all this," Shifu said thoughtfully. Oogway had passed away a year ago. Shifu was still getting over his passing. He still remembered how Oogway vanished into the petals from the Sacred Peach Tree. Mei-Ling put her hand on Shifu's shoulder comforting him.

"I have an idea that he saw all this coming," I replied, "I admit, I do miss Oogway. He did give me some laughs here and there when we hung out." Just then Mai and Tai-Lung came in.

"Hi, everyone," Tai-Lung greeted. Everyone said a simultaneous 'hi' as he and Mai sat down.

"Oh, your brother just asked your sister to be his wife," I said casually. Tai-Lung and Mai stared at me amazed and confused.

"Whoa. Whoa. Wait, my brother proposed to my sister? Po proposed to Tigress?!" Tai-Lung asked finally getting it. I only nodded. "And she said yes?" I nodded again. "Wow!" Mai laughed.

"Are you shocked that he asked or that she said yes?" She questioned.

"Both!" Tai-Lung answered still blown away. Everyone chuckled. "And today of all days!" I sat up straight in my chair. Shifu's ears perked up.

"What's so special about today?" Shifu asked. Mai and Tai-Lung held each others hands.

"Today is the day I proposed to Mai, and she said yes!" Tai-Lung excitedly. I spat up my tea.

"What! When?" I exclaimed.

"When we were down at Mr. Ping's shop working. In the middle of the noon rush, he kneels and proposed to me," Mai said sweetly. Shifu and I groaned.

"Another wedding," we said at the same time. Everyone laughed. "You're gonna have to help, Dead Shot."

That reminds me. Zeng did tell the group that he was the famous Dead Shot Duck. Everyone was so surprised. Zeng smiled.

"Oh I will," he replied. I sat back into my chair. Everyone was so happy. Everything was at peace. Po as the Dragon Warrior was the smartest thing that Oogway could have done. We still protect the Valley of Peace but now the valley has finally lived up to its name. Now we were at peace.

Now usually stories like these have a moral or a lesson. But considering that there are so many lessons here, there is one that stands out. This whole story would not have happen had we not done the Master's will. So I guess the lesson here is...always follow the Master's will. No matter how hard or impossible it seems.

* * *

THE END

* * *

**It's finished! My summer masterpiece is finished. Don't worry. I'll be writing some more. **


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